Fibers such as wools have long been used for manufacturing fabrics and textiles. These fibers in raw form require substantial processing, including cleaning and removal of undesirable matter, such as burrs, foxtails and the like, for placing the fibers in a workable form. As a related consideration, guardhairs of certain wools (like cashmere) must be removed or otherwise separated from workable fibers before the workable fibers can be manufactured into fabrics and the like. Essentially, guardhairs are coarse or stiff hairs grown by certain animals along with workable wool fibers.
Systems are known for carding and/or cleaning wools. Not only are these systems somewhat complex, but they can pellet, curl, and even shred various wools like cashmere or cashmere blends. Consequently, many, and particularly those in the cashmere processing industry, have resorted to manual techniques for sorting and removing contaminants or unwanted matter. Obviously, such manual techniques are labor-intensive and thus cost-intensive. With recent increased appreciation and demand of cashmere fabrics and textiles, there exists a need for a dehairing system that efficiently and effectively removes contaminants, including guardhairs from raw fibers.
Recognizing the need for an efficient and effective dehairing system, the present dehairing system is relatively simple in structure and circumvents substantial manual labor with minimal damage to workable fibers. The present system provides a dehairing unit having rotating cylinders bearing tines to dehair fibers. By providing different and varying rotational speeds, the dehairing unit transfers the fibers between the cylinders for dehairing by forces, including centrifugal force. To further accomplish dehairing, the cylinders rotate in opposite directions, facilitated by tines of different lengths and extending at different predetermined angles from the cylinder.
Moreover, where multiple dehairing units are positioned adjacent to form a dehairing process line, the units interact cooperatively to transfer fibers therebetween for dehairing. In particular, the cylinders rotating at different and varying rotational speeds transfer the fibers up and down the dehairing process line, between the units, for extended dehairing.
These, as well as other features of the invention, will become apparent from the detailed description which follows, considered together with the appended drawings.